Question Summary:
Is giving into ones desires shirk?

Question Detail:

Is giving into ones desires shirk? I'm trying to understand this verse. Does that mean when we know something is wrong, yet we still do it its shirk, is this a major or minor form of shirk?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The fundamental principle of forgiveness is clearly understood from the following verse.

{إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا} [النساء: 116]

Translation: Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray.

Shirk in the above quoted verse refer to ascribing partners with Allah. Every other sin besides shirk can be forgiven.

In principle, if one commits major sins, he has to make tawbah (repent) for the sin to be forgiven. If a person commits minor sins, his good deeds serve to wipe out the minor sins. [1] If Allah want, Allah will forgive the major sins even without repentance.

It should be understood that in various Ahādith, the word shirk is used to express the intensity of some sins. That is not like the shirk referred to in the above verse. For purposes of understanding, the shirk that is not forgiven is called shirk-e-Jali (the major shirk).

Wherever, the term shirk refers to other sins besides ascribing partners with Allah is referred to shirk-e-khafi (hidden minor shirk). The word shirk is used to express the abhorrence of such sins. However, such sins are not like shirk-e-Jali.      

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Rabiul Islam

Student Darul Iftaa
Detroit, Michigan, USA 

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

[1] {وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ} [هود: 114]

{إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا} [النساء: 31]